


simple comfort

by helsinkibaby



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst, Comment Fic, F/M, Het, Romance, mention of canon typical violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:07:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24310297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: Sometimes all you need is a hug.
Relationships: Noelani Cunha/Steve McGarrett
Kudos: 23





	simple comfort

**Author's Note:**

> Theme : hurt/comfort  
> Prompt: any, any, the simple comfort of being held  
> https://comment-fic.livejournal.com/1103209.html?thread=114800745#t114800745

"Boss?" Steve looked up at the sound of Junior's quiet voice to see him and Tani standing in the doorway of Steve's office. "We're heading out now."

Steve dropped his pen, leaned back in his chair, the stiffness in his muscles telling him that he'd lost track of time. "Great work today, you two," he said. "Have a good night; you earned it."

"You too," Junior said, turning to go and running into Tani who wasn't moving. As Steve watched, she frowned at Junior, tilted her head, making the face that she made when she wanted someone to say something and she wasn't going to move until they did. When Junior stayed silent, her eyes narrowed and she jerked her head sharply in Steve's direction. 

Sighing, Junior turned to Steve, who quickly hid his grin. It was actually impressive, he thought, how Tani could reduce Junior, a fully trained Navy SEAL, to a puppy with just a look. Also highly entertaining, but he kept that to himself. "I'm crashing at Tani's tonight," Junior said and Steve blinked, because he wasn't that involved with his team's love lives. Thank God. Then Junior continued, "In case, you know, you want the house to yourself," and it all made sense. 

"Thanks," Steve said simply, glancing at his watch. "I'll see you guys in the morning." 

Sure that he had received their message, the two beat a hasty retreat and Steve waited until they were sure to be gone before checking his phone and making his own way out of the building. That late at night, the streets he was driving on were pretty quiet so it wasn't long before he was pulling into a parking space and making his way upstairs to the Medical Examiner's office. 

Just before he opened the door, he heard quiet voices inside and, frowning, he rapped lightly on the glass before pushing it open. Noelani was there, still clad in work clothes and white coat but one look at her and he could see the strain on her face, the dark shadows under her eyes. She was talking to a older couple, a grey haired man in a tan sports coat, a blonde haired woman in a navy blue dress. Grief hung around the pair like a shroud and Steve recognised their faces but their names escaped him. 

Instead, he met Noelani's gaze. "I'm sorry, Doctor Cunha," he said. "I didn't mean to interrupt..."

"It's fine, Commander." To anyone else, Noelani would have sounded perfectly normal. Steve could hear the strain in her voice. "This is Jack and Helen Campbell, they're-"

"Teresa Campbell's parents." She’d been the sixth victim of the killer they’d just caught and Steve had seen their pictures while looking through her social media. Hearing the name “Campbell” had jogged his memory and Steve stepped into the office, extending his hand. "Commander Steve McGarrett, Five-0 Task Force." Understanding dawned on the couple's faces, either from his name or the mention of the task force, he wasn't sure. "I'm so sorry for your loss."

"Thank you, Commander." Jack's grip was strong, while Helen's eyes had filled with tears. "For bringing our girl home to us." He swallowed hard. "And catching the monster who did this."

"All part of the job." Truth be told, Steve thought Five-0 had had the easier part of that job. They might have been called to a recently discovered mass grave in the Honolulu woods, might have spent the last three days chasing down the man responsible. But Noelani had been the one who'd supervised the exhumation of the seven bodies, and she was the one who'd just finished off the last of the seven autopsies, notified seven sets of parents, completed seven different sets of paperwork. He knew for a fact she'd barely eaten and barely slept in the last couple of days and what little sleep she'd had hadn't exactly been restful. Hence the dark shadows and, now that he was closer to her, the distinct pallor to her cheeks. Steve inclined his head in her direction, all while keeping his eye on Jack Campbell. "I just needed to double check a few things with Doctor Cunha..."

"Of course, of course, we'll leave you to it..." With a few more niceties, Jack led Helen, weeping now, out the door and Steve counted to ten slowly before he took a step towards Noelani. 

"Hey," he said, taking his time approaching her. He knew from experience that sometimes, if she was really upset and hanging on by a thread, the slightest expression of sympathy or concern could easily undo her. 

Not tonight though.

Tonight, she didn't wait for him to reach her side. She didn't even meet him halfway. 

She walked right up to him, sliding her arms around his waist and burying her face in his chest. Her hands made fists in the back of his shirt and as he wrapped his arms around her, he could feel her trembling. 

"It's okay," he said quietly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, holding her tightly. "I'm here." 

"Seven bodies, Steve." It was a long time before she spoke. "Not much older than Grace." He'd thought that too and his stomach had churned every time. He'd never been so glad that Danny was on the mainland visiting Grace in college. "And the things he did to them..." She shuddered and he tightened his grip on her, held her silently for a long, long moment. Noelani had seen a lot in her career, was generally as tough as they came, but this case had been rough on all of them. 

"We're taking tomorrow off." He hadn't planned to say that, made the decision then and there. "We'll sleep late... maybe take Eddie, hike up around Diamond Head." He knew Lincoln and Lou were more than capable of holding down the fort; hell, Lou dropped hints all the time that Steve should take more time off. Noelani's head moved up and down and there was a little noise that might have been agreement. "Junior's not coming home tonight," he continued. "I'm thinking we'll stop at Kamekona's... then head home, maybe have a moonlight swim..." His hands began tracing patterns up and down her back and he was sure he heard a giggle. 

"Swimsuit optional?"

Teasing was a good sign. "Always." There was definitely a giggle at that. "Whatever you want." 

He wasn't just talking about the swim and when she moved her head just enough so that she could look up at him, he could tell that she knew that. She nodded slowly. "That sounds great. But..." 

Her voice trailed off and he reached up, ran the back of his knuckles down her cheek. "But?"

She bit her lip. "Can we stay here for a minute? Like this?" 

The simple request made Steve smile. "As long as you like," he promised her, pulling her close and letting her rest her head against his shoulders, knowing he'd hold her until she was strong enough to let go, no matter how long it took.


End file.
